If the bottom of your bench press is your weak point, you are in luck, there are exercises that specifically target getting the bar off of your chest. The dip, and decline bench press are the two most helpful movements for getting an initial drive off of your chest. Also keep in mind that your form may be inhibiting your ability to drive the bar off of your chest. Always keep a tight back, firm feet, and a slight arch in your back when you bench press to fully engage your body.

The bench press, in its infinite glory is not the best exercise to show true strength. The dead lift, the physical act of pulling up as much weight as one can from the ground seems like a more fitting champion. Or what about the Olympic lifts, the movements that are competed on by athletes across the world on the greatest stage? Could even the dip be a more true testament of upper body strength than the bench press? Regardless of any of this, the bench press still holds a lure in our culture, and will for the foreseeable future be the only number that matures to recreational weight lifters. So how can you maximize your effort in the gym to make sure that your bench press numbers keep rising? Here are four simple steps that will surely help you add more weight to the bar.

If you are buying metal benches, check welds and the rust treatment. Metal benches should have no swarfs as they can tear your clothes and even cut someone.